The Creation of the World

Illustrated Manuscripts from the Braginsky Collection

René Braginsky has compiled his spectacular collection of Hebrew manuscripts over a period of more than three decades. It includes medieval documents, artfully prepared wedding contracts, richly illustrated scrolls, illuminated manuscripts, and rare prints.

The collection is characterized by a particular connection between text
and art, as these Hebrew scriptures were often decorated with very
elaborate illustrations. The focus is on illustrated manuscripts that
originated in central and northern Europe of the 18th century showing
high points of Jewish manuscript art. All the major Jewish calligraphers
and illuminators of the period are represented with outstanding works
in René Braginsky’s collection.

The precious manuscripts of this private collection testify to the importance in Judaism of writing down sacred texts and biblical comments. During the persecutions throughout the centuries, Hebrew manuscripts and books were often damaged or even destroyed. This makes René Braginsky’s collection with its outstanding examples of Jewish calligraphy all the more precious. As the largest private collection of objects from different areas of the Western and Eastern Diaspora, it also gives a comprehensive impression of the diversity of Jewish book history.

Torah scribe rabbi Reuven Yaacobov wrote five days a week on a Torah scroll.

In the exhibition, different calligraphers had demonstrating their skills in Arabic, Asian, and Latin script.

- Khat art and Arabic calligraphy with Murad Kahraman from 14–22 April and 1–4 May at 2–4 pm.
- Chinese calligraphy and Chinese painting with Prof. Ding Yuan from 29–31 May 2014.
- Arabic calligraphy with Lahsen Azougaye from 6–7 June 2014.

When

4 April – 3 August 2014

Where

Old Building, first level

Admission

with the museum ticket (8 euros, reduced rate 3 euros)

In the app store you can find the app "Braginsky Collection Berlin" (it requires iOS 6.0 or later). In English and German, it shows all objects of the Braginsky Collection in the exhibition "The Creation of the World" at the Jewish Museum Berlin.

Mishneh Torah is the name of the extensive law codex of Moses Maimonides, the eminent Jewish scholar, who was born in Cordoba in 1135/38 and died in Cairo/ Fustat in 1204. It is considered today to be one of the central and fundamental books of Judaism. In the Mishneh Torah, Maimonides classified the existing laws according to their central themes. He did not cite – as was the convention at the time – the various strands of discussion of rabbinic authorities, but arranged the body of law in a new way which met with resistance in his contemporaries.
The notes and inscriptions in this manuscript indicate that this book passed through many hands and was read by major Ashkenazi rabbis. Moreover, the entries of the owners suggest that this Mishneh Torah traveled long distances to different parts of the world such as the Ottoman Empire, Kurdistan, England, and Jerusalem.

Roman wedding contracts are known for their elegant Hebrew calligraphy and decorative design. Biblical episodes, allegorical scenes, and delicate micrographs (texts written in the tiniest space) are represented.

The bride and groom, Angelica and Menachem, both belonged to the Paliano family, one of the most respected and wealthiest Jewish families in Rome. On the outer ring, the Paliano family emblem with a palm branch, column, and three lilies can be found twice.

The inner oval contains the wedding contract in a uniform square script. A perfectly executed ornamental micrograph featuring the text of the books of Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, and Ruth in full length can be found in the outer oval.

This Esther Scroll links Western and Eastern traditions in a unique way. It served the private ritual use of the Sassoon family in Baghdad, some of whose members relocated to Bombay in 1832. The melding of Jewish scribal traditions and Indian artistic design in this megillah reflects the family’s deep involvement in the cultural life of India. All marked with names, some of the figures wear Western clothes and some Indian.

An industrial robot writes a Torah. It does not use digital printing techniques to do this, but mimics the human act of writing. Using pen and ink, it writes at the speed of a human a total of 304,805 Hebrew letters on an 80-meter roll of paper.

Art Breakfast
25 May, 8 June, and 6 July 2014, 10.30 am–2 pm

Sunday morning art breakfast is all about scripts, manuscripts and your own creativity. You will gain insight into the crafts of making paper, calligraphy, illustrating, and bookbinding. Following a tour through the special exhibition "The Creation of the World" and breakfast together, you have the chance to be guided through the process of creating your own written documents, images, or hand-bound books.

The art breakfast for the whole family is all about scripts, manuscripts, and your own creativity. A family tour presents the highlights of the exhibition. Following the tour, children, young people, and their parents can create their own manuscript and bind a book (on 13 April) or illustrate and inscribe a frame for a family photo for Mother’s Day (on 11 May).

A breakfast buffet for great and small will fuel the creative process!

When

13 April and 11 May 2014, 10.30 am–2 pm

Meeting Point

at the entrance to the exhibition, Old Building, first level

Fee

25 euros (incl. admission and tour through the exhibition, breakfast buffet, workshop, and materials), children under 18 free of charge

Bookings

+49 (0)30 259 93 517
g.struve[at]jmberlin.de

13 April 2014, 10.30 am–2 pm
Art Breakfast for all the Family: The Arts of Writing and Bookbinding
Family tour and workshops for great and small with Kirstin Sieling, Grit Wenig (bookbinding experts), and Cornelia Brauer
A cooperation with the Bookbinders guild for Berlin-Brandenburg.

11 May 2014, 10.30 am–2 pm
Art Breakfast on Mothers’ Day! The Arts of Writing and Illustrating
Family tour and workshops for great and small with Cornelia Brauer & Michal Zamir

Are images prohibited in Judaism and Islam? The symposium explores the question of how images have been handled in different eras, regions, and religious currents in Judaism and Islam, how image bans have been theologically justified and what alternative art forms, such as calligraphy, have formed as a result.

When

16 May 2014, 10 am–5 pm

Where

Academy Hall

Admission

free

Speakers include Emile Schrijver (curator of the exhibition "The Creation of the World"), Silvia Naef (Professor for Arab Cultural History, University of Geneva), Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek (Judaist and curator, Vienna), Doris Behrens-Abouseif (Professor for Islamic Art, University of London) and Frederek Musall (Professor for Jewish Philosophy, College of Jewish Studies, Heidelberg).